Set for a March 5 release, The False Dilemma is a profound slab of Heavy that drips of Black and Death Metal whilst delving deep into the realms of psychedelia, which sees the quartet evolving into a darker, fine-tuned machine of cynicism.

In an era of over-classified genre taxonomies, it’s a breath of fresh air to find a metal band that just makes music. Vancouver’s Bushwhacker is one such. Their sound combines influences from many decades, from traditional death and black metal genres to 60s and 70s British prog and psychedelia, and even further to jazz and darker 1800s-era classical. The result is a complex and thoughtful arrangement that both challenges and pleases the ear, defying classification.

Though Bushwhacker now resides permanently in Vancouver, the stark wilderness and mountainous landscapes of their Yukon homeland still shine through in the power and intensity of their music. Formed in Whitehorse in 2008, Bushwhacker began with four high school friends that shared a love of old-school thrash metal. With Geoff Woods on guitar and vocals, Cavan Egan on guitar and vocals, Sean Komaromi on drums and Keenan Dennehy on bass, the quartet began to write and perform original music. They released their self-titled debut in July 2011 and followed it with a tour through BC and Alberta that ended in Vancouver, their chosen new home.

After settling in Vancouver, the band parted ways with Dennehy and brought in fellow Yukoner Rory O’Brien on bass and vocals in October 2012. With the addition of another composer and vocalist, Bushwhacker then began a new era of songwriting; inspired by all the variety and opportunity the city had to offer, they began to explore new avenues and sounds.

August 2013 saw them in the studio at Rain City Recorders, putting the finishing touches on their newest work, a one-song, 20-minute EP called Fish Guy. A shining example of evolution done right, Fish Guy features all the passionate metal fury of their earlier works, while still boiling, now carefully honed into effective, driving riffs and passages, framed and punctuated by evocative, dexterous psychedelic breaks and solos. Classic thrash vocals have expanded into a medley of layered harmonies, eerie growls and epic choruses, carrying lyrics full of ancient nautical superstition.

In 2014 the band again entered Rain City Recorders in Vancouver to record what would become a career high water mark in The False Dilemma. Engineered by Stu McKillop and Mark McKitrick, and mixed/mastered by McKillop, The False Dilemma is a profound slab of Heavy that drips of Black and Death Metal whilst delving deep into the realms of psychedelia, which sees the quartet evolving into a darker, fine-tuned machine of cynicism.